OlmecsThe dominant Mesoamerican civilization of the Preclassic
period was the Olmecs (1,500 - 400 B.C.) in the Gulf Coast Region, to the northwest
of the Maya region. The Olmecs believed they were descended from jaguars and believed
in 'were-jaguars' half-human, half-jaguar combinations of transformation
similar to werewolf legends.The height of the Olmec civilization
was 900 - 300 B.C. Contributions include astronomy, sculpture, writing, and
possibly an early calendar system.

TeotihucuanThe city of the Teotihucuan, (300 B.C. to 600 A.D.)
built by ancestors of the later Aztec, rivaled ancient Rome in size and was the
first great urban metropolis of the western hemisphere. The Patio of the
Jaguars is part of the Pyramid of the Moon complex on the Street of the Dead.
The Teotihucuan most likely influenced Maya development through conquest and
trade.

IzapanThe Izapan (300 B.C.300 A.D.)
lived in the Chiapas region and are considered by some scholars to be the
intermediaries between the Olmecs and Maya. The Izapa worshiped precursors to
the Maya gods. Izapan style is evident in Izapa and the great Preclassic city
of Kaminaljuyú. Teotihucuans invaded Kaminaljuyú around 250 A.D.

ZapotecsEvidence of Zapotec
culture in Oaxaco, Mexico dates to 1,500 B.C. Their capital city, Monte
Albán, reached its zenith between 300 to 700 A.D. During the Late
Classic period, the jaguar was believed to be the symbol of this city of 24,000
people.

MixtecsThe Mixtecs (zenith 900
A.D.1400 A.D) were headed by aggressive, warring kings who, in the 13th
century, took control of Zapotec cities, including Monte Albán.

ToltecsThe Toltecs
(9001187 A.D.) were a militaristic people from northern Mexico who captured
Chichén Itzá and introduced the god Quetzalcoatl and an increase
in human sacrifice. They subsequently blended with the Maya population.

Aztecs/MexicaThe Aztecs -- probable
descendants of Teotihucuan, Zapotec and Mixtec peoples -- had two kinds of
warrior elite: the Jaguar Warriors of the night, and the Eagle Warriors of the
day. The Aztec empire had no influence on the Maya, other than that their easy
defeat by the Conquistadors left open the western door to the Maya region.
Toward the end of the Aztec empire, human sacrifice may have consumed 20,000
people a year.